The Crown Prince of the Mexican Empire - The Crown Prince of the Mexican Empire Chapter 2
confiscation (1)
The greatest blunder of Augustin I was, of course, the dissolution of the parliament. And the dissolution of the parliament was caused by the arrest of the opposition members, which in turn led to even more violent protests.
‘If the opposition members have already been arrested, the situation becomes several times more difficult. Reconciliation with the National Assembly is virtually impossible, and it might be better to prepare for civil war right away.’
Although stopping my father was my top priority, I didn’t go looking for him right away.
Even though I am the eldest son, it is nothing short of crazy to go to the emperor without even properly understanding the situation and suddenly interfere with what he is trying to do.
‘Start by assessing the situation.’
***
I took a deep breath and knocked at the door.
Knock knock.
“Mother, this is Heronimo.”
“Come in, my son.”
‘Hmm… At least judging from the voice, it seems like he’s friendly towards this body.’
There was very little information as the body’s owner, Jeronimo Iturbide, had no memory of it. Most mothers are kind to their children, but that is not always the case.
‘If you’re going to send it, please include some memories as a service. Other gods are good at giving it to me.’
I opened the door complaining about my Mexican grandfather.
In the room decorated in a luxurious manner, a woman of noble appearance appeared. It was Ana Maria, the mother of this body. In American pronunciation, it is Anna Maria, but I will have to get used to Spanish.
‘She looks like a modern 36-year-old woman.’
She was not a great beauty, but overall she seemed like a wealthy girl who had grown up well. Since Agustin I became a large farm owner with the dowry she brought, her original family must have been very wealthy.
“Son, what’s wrong? It’s been a while since you last visited Mom?”
She said that it seemed unexpected that I came to see her. Since I didn’t know the circumstances, I answered appropriately.
“Well, I came because I wanted to see my mother.”
“What? Are you my son?”
‘huh?’
For a moment, I felt a chill down my spine, but when I saw her smiling expression, I realized that she was just joking.
“Of course it’s the mother’s son. Then, who else would it be?”
“You haven’t even talked to your mom much lately. Have you matured already?”
‘ah.’
This body was old enough to be going through puberty. Judging from what she said, she must have been quite distressed.
“Haha, I guess so. By the way, is your father very busy these days?”
I naturally changed the subject. My mother sighed and answered.
“Your father is busy fighting with the lawmakers every day. He is the emperor, but there is nothing he can do as he pleases.”
‘At least I avoided the worst timing.’
If Agustin I was feeling frustrated by fighting with his senators, he probably hadn’t arrested any of the opposition senators yet.
‘Yeah, you should do this much.’
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I was possessed by a person from the past, but I had no memories of the person I possessed, and I didn’t have the ability to become stronger or smarter. Fortunately, the timing was right in the midst of all this regret.
The arrest of the opposition members took place on 26 August 1822 and the dissolution of Parliament took place in October 1822, so the current date would be between July and mid-August 1822.
‘Then this body is 15 years old, exactly the age when puberty begins.’
I asked more questions I was curious about.
“What is the domestic situation like these days?”
It’s a strange question for a 15-year-old to ask her mother, but it’s probably okay since the country has only been independent for a few months.
“Now that I look at it, I see you didn’t come to see your mother. Have you become interested in state affairs?”
“Yes. I am now the crown prince.”
“Haha, it’s a bit awkward because you suddenly seem mature. But as you said, now that I’m the crown prince, it would be good for me to take an interest in state affairs. What are you curious about?”
“What happened to the people of the peninsula?”
“They say most of them returned to Spain during the War of Independence.”
Peninsulars are nobles from the Iberian Peninsula who were at the top of the various classes in Latin America.
These people, also called Peninsulars, were sent by Spain to manage the colonies. As they have a Spanish identity, most of them oppose independence.
“What about those who remain? How many are left?”
“There are almost none left, and they have decided to expel those who remain one by one.”
‘Oh. Looks like the expulsion started sooner than I thought.’
The peninsula people monopolized the high-ranking positions in the colony. If they were all gone, the imperial administrative network would not function properly. They were also the highest intellectual class in the colony, the class that was most knowledgeable about the Industrial Revolution and various other knowledge that had started in England.
Although Mexico has universities and the Criollos, descendants of the peninsula people, are well-educated, it is true that they have the most up-to-date knowledge from Europe.
“···Then, taxes won’t be collected properly.”
“The financial situation is not good, but my father said he will take care of it. Don’t worry too much.”
My mother patted my head and reassured me, as if she was impressed by my concern, but knowing the reality of Mexico, I could never feel at ease.
Mexico, immediately after independence, was a complete mess. The national finances were bankrupt from the long war of independence, the country was in massive debt, the administrative organization was disintegrated, taxes were not collected, and the local governments were refusing to accept central control.
Augustin I and his senators lacked political experience. They did not know how parliamentary politics worked, and they had not decided whether to engage in parliamentary politics or not. In this chaotic situation, they were only engaged in political strife for their own gain.
The reason that the country, which could have collapsed at any moment, was maintained was because of the vague optimism that things would get better once it became independent.
“Aren’t you not even able to pay the salaries of civil servants and soldiers?”
“···I don’t know the details···. I think so.”
‘There was a reason why Augustine I lost his army.’
There were three things that the father of this body had now.
First, public support. After all, my father was the main character who led Mexico’s independence. Although he lost popularity quickly afterwards, he still enjoyed public support as an independence hero.
Second, the support of the military. His father had a brilliant career as a soldier and had been in control of the military in Mexico long before he became emperor.
Third, the support of the conservatives. The church and the large landowners do not want rapid social change. Therefore, they supported their father, who was also a large landowner and a royalist.
‘No matter how little money you have, you have to pay the military’s salaries. If you lose the military’s support, it’s over.’
The most important of these is the support of the military. With the power to move the military, he also gained the support of the public and conservatives.
The army is more important to Agustin I because he has excellent military resources. As long as he maintains control of the central army, he can crush any republican or provincial rebellions. However, the soldiers have not been able to pay their salaries for a long time and there seems to be no way to pay them in the future, so their support for Agustin I will gradually decrease.
‘It’s all about money.’
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There is a way to solve the money problem. You can mine gold in California. The gold rush was still 20 years away, and there was still a huge amount of gold left in California.
In some areas, there was so much gold that the rivers looked golden, so if you could just mine it, you would bring in a lot of wealth.
The problem is time. This situation needs immediate resolution. In these times when there are no railroads, it takes at least five months to get to California one way.
‘I need another number.’
Trying to find a way to make money on the spot gives me a headache.
“Mother, what happened to the property of the peninsula people?”
“They may have taken the valuables, but most of the land and farms are still there. In the first place, there were many people who purchased farms by sending agents from Spain.”
“I understand that Spain is currently in a situation where it cannot move its troops. Is that correct?”
right.
At least at this time, Spain could not project military power no matter what Mexico did. It was a time of chaos due to the Napoleonic Wars and the subsequent civil war, and it had lost the power to project military power externally.
‘It was seven years later, in 1829, that Spain attacked Mexico in an attempt to reconquer the country, which had regained some independence after a period of chaos, so at least until then, it was safe.’
The reason I asked this question, knowing this fact, is because I wonder if people of this era are aware of this.
“They say there was a rebellion.”
‘also.’
People of this era also knew this much.
First of all, since my father was a member of the Spanish army, he would know better than anyone. If he had had the power to begin with, he would have prevented Mexican independence.
“Then, even if we confiscate all the property of the Spanish royal family and the people of the peninsula, there’s nothing we can do right now?”
“Well… I guess so, but isn’t that too radical? If we go that far, Spain’s retaliation will be absolutely unavoidable.”
‘Mexico and Spain will fight anyway, regardless of the confiscation.’
“It’s better than the government collapsing right now. You know, Mom. The situation is precarious right now.”
“···”
“My father’s strength comes from the military. What will happen to our family if that strength disappears?”
“···So what do you want to do?”
“My father is probably tired of fighting with the lawmakers and considering extreme measures. I will persuade him, so please help me, mother.”
It would be several times more effective to go with my mother than to try to persuade her alone, as I am only 15 years old. Of course, Augustin I was a loving husband.
‘They had ten children together.’
At that time, infant mortality rates were still high, so even if it was considered common to have many children, 10 was still a huge number. In particular, nobles were often reluctant to have more children because of inheritance issues, as long as they had a successor or a potential successor.
If my mother supports my opinion, it will be difficult for Agustin I to ignore it.
***
I walked with my mother through the National Palace (Palacio Nacional), the residence of the Mexican Imperial Family and the seat of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
‘The logic to persuade Augustin I is logical, but what’s more important is what he thinks of me, the eldest son.’
As expected of a son of a wealthy landowner, I must have eaten well and grown up to be about 175cm tall at the age of 15, but judging from my mother’s reaction earlier, even Agustin I might have thought of me as just a reckless adolescent boy.
‘That’s a bit difficult.’
If you weren’t willing to take me seriously, there wasn’t much I could do.
If he had more time, he would have built up trust by enlisting in the military to suit the tastes of Augustin I, but with only a few months left until he was driven out due to ruin, he had no time for that.
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‘I wish I could remember the conversation.’
I felt anxious for no reason and asked my mother.
“Will my father listen to me seriously?”
“···I don’t know either. But don’t worry, if I say something, you won’t completely ignore me.”
While we were talking, I arrived at the office. There was a soldier guarding the front of the office. I said to the soldier.
“I have come to tell Your Majesty something.”
The soldier who identified me and my mother went into the office and told them that we had arrived.
“He asked me to come in.”
It’s time to meet Agustin I, the pinnacle of modern Mexico.
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